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November 18, 2022
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Issue 33 of the Global Health Digest. We bring you the latest Global Health news, features, comments, research, and much more, every Friday.
News, Features & Comments
Possible Ebola case investigated in UK
Health officials are investigating a potential Ebola case in Colchester, after a patient with suspected symptoms returned to Britain from Africa, where a strain of the deadly virus is circulating in Uganda. On Wednesday, part of Colchester Hospital in Essex was closed to new patients amid concerns that a patient with a travel history to Africa was developing early symptoms of Ebola, a deadly hemorrhagic fever. – The Telegraph
Ebola vaccine candidates expected to be shipped to Uganda next week - WHO
Three Ebola vaccine candidates for a planned clinical trial are expected to be shipped to Uganda next week, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. The candidates include vaccines under development by the University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India, Sabin Vaccine Institute, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N). – Reuters
 
Can mRNA vaccines transform the fight against Ebola?
COVID-19 vaccines that rely on mRNA technology are credited with transforming humanity’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The vaccines — one made by drug giant Pfizer with German biotech firm BioNTech, another by US pharmaceutical company Moderna — sped through clinical trials in just months and gained approval from major regulatory bodies less than a year after development began. Now, as Uganda battles a type of Ebola without proven vaccines, is an mRNA vaccine against the deadly virus on the cards? And would such a vaccine similarly transform the fight against Ebola? – Max Kozlov/Nature
Leprosy bacteria unexpectedly regenerate organs
Leprosy bacteria may hold the secret to safely repairing and regenerating the body, researchers at the University of Edinburgh say. Animal experiments have uncovered the bacteria's remarkable ability to almost double the size of livers by stimulating healthy growth. It is a sneakily selfish act that gives the bacteria more tissue to infect. But working out how they do it could lead to new age-defying therapies, the scientists say. – BBC
Malawi faces sharp rise in cholera cases
Health officials in Malawi are struggling to contain one of the worst cholera outbreaks in years. The outbreak has spread to nearly all of the country's 28 districts, killing more than 250 people and infecting more than 8,000. "The cholera situation as of currently, we are receiving a lot of cases every day, the numbers have spiked at the moment, we are getting about four or three cases per day," said Dora Mwafulirwa, who is in charge of the Limbe Clinic in Blantyre. – VOA
Quote of the week
"We see concerning increases in the number of deaths attributable to infections with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, especially those that are resistant to last-line antimicrobial treatment. Each day, nearly 100 people die from these infections in the EU/EEA. Further efforts are needed to continue to reduce unnecessary antimicrobial use, improve infection prevention and control practices, design and implement antimicrobial stewardship programs and ensure adequate microbiological capacity at national level," said European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)  Director Dr Andrea Ammon, following the release of a new report this week by the ECDC showing that more than 35,000 people die from antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections in the European Union (EU)/the European Economic Area (EEA) each year.
Latest on Covid-19
David Gallager: Have I dodged Covid and what does it mean?
The virus has swept the world since it emerged in China nearly three years ago. Fresh variants have become better and better at infecting us. Even vaccines make Covid milder rather than being an impenetrable shield. Yet I worked in the office throughout, even in lockdowns, and the virus ripped through the rest of my family and I didn't get sick. And I'm far from the only person to have gone through the pandemic without getting the walloping symptoms of Covid or to have never tested positive. – BBC
 
In 'Zero-Covid' China, 1 case locks down Peking University
Chinese authorities locked down a major university in Beijing on Wednesday after finding one COVID-19 case as they stick to a "zero-COVID" approach despite growing public discontent. Peking University students and faculty were not allowed to leave the grounds unless necessary and classes on the main campus - where the case was found - were moved online through Friday, a university notice said. – VOA
Research & Reviews
RESEARCH
Human monkeypox virus infection in women and non-binary individuals during the 2022 outbreaks: a global case series
“The clinical features of monkeypox in women and non-binary individuals were similar to those described in men, including the presence of anal and genital lesions with prominent mucosal involvement. Anatomically, anogenital lesions were reflective of sexual practices: vulvovaginal lesions predominated in cis women and non-binary individuals and anorectal features predominated in trans women. The prevalence of HIV co-infection in the cohort was high,” Thornhill et al conclude in this study published in THE LANCET.
 
Know your tuberculosis epidemic–Is it time to add Mycobacterium tuberculosis immunoreactivity back into global surveillance?
“Surveillance efforts must overcome the paradox of TB’s low point-prevalence of disease in most populations, but its huge mortality and morbidity. Integrating Mtb infection measurement into global TB surveillance may offer a feasible, affordable way to track trends and target efforts towards underserved populations. We have highlighted research questions which need to be answered in light of our evolving understanding of TB transmission, pathology and epidemiology, to better understand the performance of novel diagnostic tests and how their results should be interpreted, in order to fully realize the potential of this methodology,” Rickman and co-authors, conclude in this review published in PLOS Global Public Health.
Resources
The Antimicrobial Resistance channel offers learning resources to support implementation of the Global Action Plan on AMR (2015), by building health care worker competencies to help combat AMR in their daily clinical practice. Learn more here.
Coming Up
18 to 24 November is World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW). WAAW is a global campaign that is celebrated annually to improve awareness and understanding of AMR and encourage best practices among the public, One Health stakeholders and policymakers, who all play a critical role in reducing the further emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Read more.
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